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Updated: May 30, 2026

External Cephalic Version: Is it an Effective and Safe Procedure?
Published on: June 6, 2020
Timing of delivery after external cephalic version and the risk for cesarean delivery
Doron Kabiri1, Tamar Elram, Mushira Aboo-Dia
1From the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel.
Objective:
To estimate the association between time of delivery after external cephalic version at term and the risk for cesarean delivery.
Methods:
This retrospective cohort study included all successful external cephalic versions performed in a tertiary center between January 1997 and January 2010. Stepwise logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) for cesarean delivery.
Results:
We included 483 external cephalic versions in this study, representing 53.1% of all external cephalic version attempts. The incidence of cesarean delivery for 139 women (29%) who gave birth less than 96 hours from external cephalic version was 16.5%; for 344 women (71%) who gave birth greater than 96 hours from external cephalic version, the incidence of cesarean delivery was 7.8% (P = .004). The adjusted OR for cesarean delivery was 2.541 (95% confidence interval 1.36-4.72). When stratified by parity, the risk for cesarean delivery when delivery occurred less than 96 hours after external cephalic version was 2.97 and 2.28 for nulliparous and multiparous women, respectively.
Conclusion:
Delivery at less than 96 hours after successful external cephalic version was associated with an increased risk for cesarean delivery.
Level Of Evidence:
III.
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